Stamkos' legacy can be elevated if Lightning meet lofty expectations
TAMPA, Fla. -- Steven Stamkos emerges from double-glass doors on his way to the ice, a stick in his right hand and a season of opportunity ahead. It's a recent Thursday, eight minutes before the start of the regular season's first morning skate at Amalie Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning's campaign of great hope is about to begin, and he's a main reason for the optimism.
Stamkos glides onto the cold surface in a blue uniform as Tampa Bay's longest-tenured player and a maturing superstar within the NHL. Vinny Lecavalier is long gone to the Philadelphia Flyers, and Marty St. Louis' trade to the New York Rangers stands as a bitter-but-distant memory. Stamkos, Tampa Bay's 10th captain, lives as his team's unquestioned soul since St. Louis left for the Big Apple's bright lights last March. With the higher profile comes a chance for the prized center to enhance his legacy.
"Every year is a big year," Stamkos says later, sitting at his stall with the bustle of Opening Day around him. "The next one is always the biggest one in my eyes. So it's been a great ride so far."
His ride already has revealed many rewards, but the journey to come could deliver more gifts. The dazzling native of Markham, Ontario, has done so much good for Tampa Bay since he was selected first overall in the 2008 entry draft: The two All-Star Game appearances, the two Rocket Richard trophies, the 60-goal season in 2011-2012.
But if Stamkos, 24, leads the Lightning to all they envision in the coming months -- a second consecutive playoff berth, a deep run in the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs, perhaps a Stanley Cup Final appearance -- then there's another level of stardom for him to achieve. Already considered one of the NHL's elite, Stamkos, who has three goals and four points through four games, can become more.
"He's a dynamic player, and he's getting better," says Craig Button, a former NHL executive and current analyst for NHL Network and TSN. "And I think that not only is Steven a top player in the NHL, I don't think there's any question that he can push himself to a higher level in terms of national presence, notoriety in the NHL. That's possible."
Unlike in the NFL or NBA, it's difficult to quantify a superstar's impact in hockey. Life moves faster on the ice. There are quick line changes and breakneck decisions made at a blink's speed. Sometimes, to the casual fan, personalities become lost in the blur.
Still, players like Stamkos, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin rise above all. Stamkos, already famous, could grow into more. It's intriguing to consider what he can become if the Lightning rise as one of the Eastern Conference's elite.
"It's nice to have the points, it's nice to have the awards, the goals," Stamkos says.
"That's what my job is -- to help this team offensively. But being a leader now and rounding out my game, that's kind of the main focus for me."
One chapter of Stamkos' career, a star's ascent, ended with him writhing in pain on the ice on Nov. 11, 2013, at TD Garden in Boston. The aftermath of the collision that broke his right tibia looked devastating. When he was wheeled away on a stretcher, bound for surgery the next day, one question was unavoidable.
Would Stamkos be the same player again?
Some were taken aback by his goal of trying to recover in time to play for Team Canada at the Sochi Olympics, held the following February. The sight of him sprawled on the ice was gruesome and troubling. But Stamkos' Olympic vision, despite it going unfulfilled when St. Louis took his place in a dramatic back-and-forth with Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman, was indicative of the drive that served the young star well in the months that followed. He was determined.
Stamkos had risen as one of the NHL's prime talents not only because of his natural skill, but because of his endurance to manage all that came with his selection by a franchise in need of revitalization. Hope, assumptions, expectations, he accepted them all and still became one of the game's best.
Like in his first five NHL seasons, Stamkos didn't collapse under the demands placed on him. He approached his rehab process like an opposing defense to be solved, maneuvering through the challenges while searching for the most appropriate way to live his best outcome.
"I think all you need to know is how hard he worked to try to come back from that broken leg, to not only try to help his country, but also get back and really help the Lightning have a strong run at the playoffs," Button says.
Stamkos returned March 6 against the Buffalo Sabres to a piercing roar from the crowd at Tampa Bay Times Forum. He went scoreless in three games, before breaking through for a goal and an assist in a victory over the Florida Panthers on March 13. He finished with 25 goals and 40 points in 37 regular-season contests. But the campaign's memory includes wonder about what he could have accomplished if he hadn't missed 45 games.
That's part of the current campaign's intrigue. Stamkos and other Tampa Bay returnees view last season's exit in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals as unfinished business. The past's pains are gone, dashed when the puck dropped Oct. 9 at Amalie Arena to begin a victory over the Panthers. The present's opportunity, for Stamkos and everyone wearing a bolt, has arrived for those willing to work.
"Stammer doesn't rest on the fact that he has had 60 goals in the league and he has won awards and been in the hunt for the scoring race and all those other things," Lightning coach Jon Cooper says. "He just wants to continue to get better and better and better. So that's what drives him."
One chapter of Stamkos' career, a star's movement from a young up-and-comer to a trusted mentor, began when he skated onto the ice March 6 with a spotlight shining on his chest and the white block "C" stitched below his left shoulder. Cooper called Stamkos destined to lead the Lightning. At that moment, Stamkos' success became tied to Tampa Bay's own.
That reality is appropriate. The Detroit Red Wings' success enhanced Yzerman's legacy during his playing career there. It seems wise that Stamkos has consulted Yzerman about the challenges of serving as captain at a young age -- Yzerman was named captain at age 21 -- and Yzerman has told Stamkos not to overthink the role. Stamkos has gained trust, no small achievement. Respect is a hard-earned currency.
"You're talking about a guy that's already considered one of the premium players in the league," says Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, signed as a free agent in July.
"So far, I've learned he's a tremendous guy. He's obviously very talented. It's always fun when you go to a new team, and you get to be a little closer to guys you play against and see (them) in practice every day, just see how skilled and how good his shot is. It's pretty impressive to be among that."
Stamkos has teammates' respect, but he can shape how others throughout the NHL remember him. Entering this season, he had captured notable individual awards. But a deep playoff run or delivering Tampa Bay its first Stanley Cup since the 2003-04 campaign would propel him to another level of respectability. He has traveled far in his short career, but there's more distance to go.
Mental maturity will be an asset as he navigates the terrain to come. Stamkos is quick to shake off personal praise if it doesn't align with team results. But if both meet in the coming months, a fine reward awaits.
"This guy, he's a very determined athlete, and elite players have that," says Rick Bowness, Tampa Bay's associate coach. "They just have that belief, that determination that comes from within. And Steven has that."
There's time for Stamkos to show where that uncommon focus can lead. If the Lightning don't meet expectations this season, such an outcome will disappoint. But there should be more chances for him to reach his ultimate goal -- hoisting the Stanley Cup -- as he continues to grow within the game.
The Lightning have risen with him since his NHL debut in the 2008-09 campaign. They have earned their reputation as an Eastern Conference contender because of what they endured during Stamkos' injury, St. Louis' departure and Stamkos' evolution into a greater presence when accepting the captaincy. Still, Tampa Bay's performance in a winter of high anticipation, whatever the result, will be a reflection of Stamkos' influence as well.
"I think he's already a bona-fide superstar," Lightning center Brian Boyle says. "The sky's the limit for him. He's not going to leave anything in the tank. He's not going to leave anything to be desired."
Stamkos sits in the dressing room on the Thursday, possibility before him and lessons from the past always near. It's striking to consider him one of Tampa Bay's sage voices now, proof that time demands more as transitions in life are made. There's much at stake, but there's also so much to gain.
"It's pretty crazy to think that I'm 24 years old and now the longest-tenured guy on the team," Stamkos says.
Stamkos says his leg feels better than when he finished the previous season. He enjoyed having the summer to train and strengthen his body, with hope that he won't repeat the process until a prolonged postseason run is over. Next July, negotiations can begin on an extension that could make Tampa Bay his home for many more years.
But first, there's business on the ice. His legacy remains unfinished.
"I'm a believer that Steven Stamkos can push himself into the conversation as the best player in the National Hockey League," Button says. "So we all know that Sidney Crosby has been, and Sidney has started out the year terrific. But I think that Steven is more than capable of doing it.
"Goal-scoring has become a lot more difficult to do successfully in the National Hockey League, and I think Steven is capable of scoring more because of his talents, because of his determination and because it's that maturing process -- you understand more how to take advantage of situations. Experience does become a teacher, and I think that Steven Stamkos is an exceptional student."
For now, the proven star will continue to learn and discover where his lessons lead. He'll enjoy the journey. And if he leads the Lightning to where they want to go, so many others throughout Tampa Bay and beyond will too.
"Things fly, obviously, when you're having fun," Stamkos says. "I couldn't have asked for a better experience so far. And obviously, I want to build on that and create some more memories."
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
